In general, the display device includes at least a light emitting element and at least a light guiding plate, while there are a plurality of luminous patterns disposed on the light guiding plate. When the light emitting element generates a light beam and the light beam is projected into the light guiding plate to pass through the plurality of luminous patterns, the plurality of luminous patterns are displayed on the light guiding plate. Furthermore, once the display device is assembled with a touch input interface, a touch input device is formed.
Applications of the touch input device is quite extensive. Currently, some of the touch input device which is commercially available has two kinds of different input modes simultaneously. Herein, the touch input device has a luminous module, and a first input mode is provided when the luminous module is turned on and thus the touch input device shows a predetermined pattern, while a second input mode is provided when the luminous module is turned off and thus the predetermined pattern is not shown. In another word, a user may recognize which input mode it is switched to currently by whether the pattern is shown or not, and then input signals according to the current input mode. For example, when the luminous module is turned off, an appearance of the touch input device is presented as a whole black state and the input mode is preset as a mode for controlling a mouse cursor. At this time, the user can implement motions of moving the mouse cursor and clicking according to the appearance of the touch input device is presented as the whole black state. On the contrary, when the luminous is turned on, a luminous keyboard is presented on the touch input device and the input mode is preset as another mode for controlling a keyboard. At this time, the user can input letters and symbols by the touch input device according to the presented luminous keyboard pattern. Therefore, one of the design points of such a luminous touch input device is how to ensure that the pattern is not shown when the luminous module is turned off, but the luminous pattern is shown only when the luminous module is turned on, so as to avoid confusing the user.
FIG. 1 illustrates a structural schematic side view of a conventional luminous input device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional luminous input device 1 comprises an input interface 11, a luminous module 12 and a Mylar® polyester plate 13, wherein a bottom-up arranging sequence thereof is the input interface 11, the luminous module 12 and the Mylar® polyester plate 13. The input interface 11 is capable of generating a corresponding signal by being activated by the user with a finger or a stylus. Furthermore, the luminous module 12 comprises a plurality of light emitting elements 121 and a light guiding plate 122, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements 121 are capable of generating at least a light beam (not shown), and the light guiding plate 122 is arranged among the light emitting elements 121 and capable of guiding the light beam, so as to project the light beam to the input interface 11. Herein, each one of the light emitting elements 121 is a light emitting diode (LED). In addition, the Mylar® polyester plate 13 has a plurality of luminous patterns 131, and the plurality of luminous patterns 131 are disposed on a lower surface 133 of the Mylar® polyester plate 13. Herein, the plurality of luminous patterns 131 are formed by printing a light transmissive black printing ink with a light shading rate about 98%, and the regions outside the plurality of luminous patterns 131 are formed by printing an opaque black printing ink, so as to form a plurality of light shading layers 132. Hence, the light can pass through the lower surface 133 of the Mylar® polyester plate 13 from where is printed with the plurality of luminous patterns 131 only, but is unable to pass through from the other regions of the lower surface 133 outside the plurality of luminous patterns 131. When the luminous module 12 of the luminous input device 1 is turned off, there is still faint light entering into the luminous input device 1 from the environment. However, the light quantity of the 2% faint light coming from the environment and passing through the regions printed with the plurality of luminous patterns 131 is too weak to be distinguished from the light quantity of the light coming from the environment by the user via his eyes due to the light shading rate of the luminous patterns 131 in the region is about 98%. As a result, the plurality of luminous patterns 131 on the Mylar® polyester plate 13 are unable to be displayed, i.e. are unable to be seen by the user. In contrast, when the luminous module 12 of the luminous input device 1 is turned on, there is a significant amount of light beams entering into the luminous input device 1. In such an instance, a difference between the light quantities of the light passing through the regions printed with the plurality of luminous patterns 131 and the light coming from the environment is enough to be distinguished by human eyes although there is only 2% of the light coming from the environment passing through the Mylar® polyester plate 13. As a result, the user can recognize the inputting locations indicated by the plurality of luminous patterns 131 on the luminous input device 1 due to the plurality of luminous patterns 131 are observable. The above mentioned descriptions are the structure and the function of a kind of the conventional touch input devices.
However, with the development of technology, the functions of the touch input devices become more abundant, and a kind of the commercially available input devices with multi luminous pattern layers is already introduced. FIG. 2 illustrates a structural schematic side view of a conventional input device with multi luminous pattern layers. Referring to FIG. 2, the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers comprises an input interface 21, a plurality of first luminous modules 22, a plurality of second luminous modules 23, a plurality of circuit boards 24, a plurality of light shading plate 25 and a protective layer 26. Herein, a bottom-up arranging sequence thereof is the input interface 21, the second luminous modules 23, the light shading plate 25, the first luminous modules 22 and the protective layer 26. Each one of the first luminous modules 22 includes two first light emitting elements 221 and a first light guiding plate 222. Herein, each one of the first light emitting elements 221 is capable of generating a first light beam (not shown), while the first light guiding plate 222 is arranged between the two first light emitting elements 221 and capable of guiding the first light beams, such that the first light beams are projected to the input interface 21. In addition, the first light guiding plate 222 has a plurality of first luminous patterns 2221, which are disposed to a lower surface 2222 of the first light guiding plate 222. In another word, when the first light emitting elements 221 generate the first light beams, the first luminous patterns 2221 are displayed on the first light guiding plate 222, wherein the plurality of first luminous patterns 2221 form as an Alphanumeric keyboard interface capable of being used to input letters of the alphabet and numbers.
Furthermore, each one of the second luminous modules 23 includes two second light emitting elements 231 and a second light guiding plate 232. Herein, each one of the second light emitting elements 231 is capable of generating a second light beam (not shown), while the second light guiding plate 232 is arranged between the two second light emitting elements 231 and capable of guiding the second light beams, such that the second light beams are projected to the input interface 21. In addition, the second light guiding plate 232 has a plurality of second luminous patterns 2321, which are disposed to a lower surface 2322 of the second light guiding plate 222. In another word, when the second light emitting elements 231 generate the second light beams, the second luminous patterns 2321 are displayed on the second light guiding plate 232, wherein the plurality of second luminous patterns 2321 form as a Chinese keyboard interface capable of being used to input Chinese characters. Moreover, all of the first light emitting elements 221 and the second light emitting elements 231 are LEDs.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the protective layer 26 is disposed over the first luminous modules 22, and the protective layer 26 is capable of protecting the first luminous modules 22 against the collision or the friction provided by an external force. The protective layer 26 has a light shading layer 261, and the light shading layer 261 is disposed to an upper surface 262 of the protective layer 26. In addition, the light shading layer 261 is capable of shading most of the first light beams, most of the second light beams or the external light, wherein the light shading layer 261 is formed by using a light shading printing ink to print on the upper surface 262 of the protective layer 26, and a predetermined light shading rate of the light shading layer 261 is about 98%. Moreover, each one of the circuit board 24 is disposed at a side of the first luminous modules 22 and the second luminous modules 23 and perpendicular to the light shading plate 25. Furthermore, the first light emitting elements 221 and the second light emitting elements 231 are disposed on the circuit boards 24, wherein the circuit boards 24 correspond to each other. Further, according to FIG. 2, it can be understood that all of the first light emitting elements 221 and the second light emitting elements 231 are direct LEDs.
Besides, each one of the light shading plates 25 is disposed between one of the first light guiding plate 222 and the corresponding one of the second light guiding plate 232 and capable of shading the first light beams generated by the first light emitting elements 221. As a result, it is able to prevent the first light beams from being projected to the second light guide plate 232 and thus affecting the second luminous patterns 2321 of the second luminous modules 23 being displayed on the second light guiding plate 232. Similarly, the light shading plates 25 are capable of shading the second light beams generated by the second light emitting elements 231 as well. As a result, it is able to prevent the second light beams from being projected to the first light guide plate 222 and thus affecting the first luminous patterns 2221 of the first luminous modules 22 being displayed on the first light guiding plate 222.
When all of the first luminous modules 22 and the second luminous modules 23 of the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers are turned off, there is still faint light entering into the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers from the environment. However, the light quantity of the 2% faint light coming from the environment and passing through the light shading layer 261 is too weak to be distinguished from the light quantity of the light coming from the environment by the user via his eyes due to the predetermined light shading rate of the light shading layer 261 is about 98%. As a result, the plurality of first luminous patterns 2221 on the first light guiding plate 222 and the plurality of second luminous patterns 2321 on the second light guiding plate 232 are unable to be displayed, i.e. are unable to be seen by the user. In contrast, when the first luminous modules 22 of the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers is turned on, there is a significant amount of light beams entering into the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers. In such an instance, a difference between the light quantities of the light passing through the light shading layer 261 and the light coming from the environment is enough to be distinguished by human eyes although there is only 2% of the light coming from the environment passing through the light shading layer 261. As a result, the user can recognize the inputting locations indicated by the first luminous patterns 2221 on the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers due to the plurality of first luminous patterns 2221 are observable. In addition, the operation case for turning on the second luminous modules 23 of the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers is substantially the same as the operation case for turning on the first luminous modules 22 of the input device 2 with multi luminous pattern layers and thus is omitted herein.
As a result, it is understood that the conventional input device 2 with multi pattern layers may provide two kinds of luminous patterns, such that the user knows which input mode of the conventional input device 2 with multi pattern layers may be used currently according to which one of the first luminous pattern 2221 and the second luminous pattern 2321 is displayed. However, in the conventional input device 2 with multi pattern layers, a structural thickness thereof is too thick due to the circuit board 24 is perpendicular to the first light guiding plate 222.